*Sub-Thread* Consoles as the Ultimate Media Hub

I should have been more clear,I was referring specifically to movie and music content since it's an unknown at this point.
I figured the pattern for game content has already been established.
 
Dont be so blind.

Sony controls what content is going to be put up, its not free for anybody to put stuff on, and while they probably will allow other developers to put games up and such, they will certainly moderate the content, titles which are in direct competition with their own titles, will most likely get cut.

If you're refering to movies, music and games, then I'd say Sony will make the media download service open to content that are compatible with the Playstation platform. So while HD DVD movies are out, it will most likely be the same deal for all. Otherwise, the service won't work (or be too complicated to operate).

The main things they need to be careful of are channel conflict and digital distribution cost.

The only comparison that is remotely close here is your UMD comparison (allthought not really, as Sony has completely different motives than in this case)

They are both distribution channels, but the Playstation Network is potentially "larger". Because of things like Playstation Home, it can also market offline products and services, not just digital content.
 
I still think an all in one media center would be a niche market. There is just to much working against an all in 1 machine. You could never use it with direct tv or dish as they excempt from cable cards. Also cable companys are moving to I think it is called switched video and current cable cards are useless. The cable company wants you to rent thier crappy DVR. As for OTA 95% of people don't want an antena even though the PQ is outstanding and there are a ton of subchannels. Also if 1 part goes obsolete the customer is either forced into another expensive all in one or end up buy seperate device so defeating the purpose of the all in one device.

I still think there is a market out there for a media streaming device. There are plenty of them on the market right now but every one seems to have some major issue. If sony and MS really wanted into that market they could just copy the XBMC and lots of AV geeks would line up. I would gladly pay 100 dollars for such software aslong as it is updated time to time for codec support and other bug fixes. IT really sucks all these years have passed and XBMC still is the king by 100000 miles.
 
I don't think the key benefit they sell should be "all in one" although we talk about it here a lot. The problem is no one quite knows what "all" means.

The best way is to find one compelling application (with broad appeal) to penetrate the mass market and then pan out from there.
 
My two cents, here in France internet provider offer settop box with pretty convinient fonctionnalities.
With my provider set top box (free for french) I can:
record tv show
I have acces to different voD services
In can stream video from my computer to the TV (so vlc is needed)
the set top box can act as a ftp server so I can get record back to my computer, or use the 4OGB as extra storage for my PC.

I fail to see console as ultimate mediahub, set box in France has a lot to offer, to add something a console would have to replace the PC not the set top box which here is the real ultimate media hub.
 
Dont be so blind...*rant*.*rant*.*rant*
So you're saying that when Sony's download portal opens up, they will refuse to sell content from other providers? Or other content providers will snub Sony's content portal because they are competitors? And you're saying this market is totally and utterly different from Sony's Connect service that had content from different, competing companies to Sony music?
 
So you're saying that when Sony's download portal opens up, they will refuse to sell content from other providers? Or other content providers will snub Sony's content portal because they are competitors? And you're saying this market is totally and utterly different from Sony's Connect service that had content from different, competing companies to Sony music?


i just pointed out that you talking about markets as being all the same, and comparing this download service to several completely different markets that doesn't behave the same at all, (all except for UMD) shows a great deal of ignorance from your part.

What im saying is that when Sony's portal comes up, they will certainly moderate that market in their best interest, and that usually means moderating content, or moderating how the content is priced or markedet. Sony has an interest in not only promoting the download service, but also selling as much as possible of their own stuff, assuming they will not take advandage of being the "law" in the marked, is something that goes against everything one learns in financial and economical theories.
 
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What im saying is that when Sony's portal comes up, they will certainly moderate that market in their best interest, and that usually means moderating content, or moderating how the content is priced or markedet. Sony has an interest in not only promoting the download service, but also selling as much as possible of their own stuff, assuming they will not take advandage of being the "law" in the marked, is something that goes against everything one learns in financial and economical theories.
That goes without saying, and I never said otherwise. The question was would non-Sony content appear, and the answer is 'yes' because Sony would make money from said portal by selling other people's stuff, as Apple and MS do with their content portals and Sony does (or did?) with CONNECT, and other people can make money from that portal by selling their own stuff.
 
If Sony's service is perceived as a Sony-centric source of content, it will never get anywhere.

The competing media companies will have no problems providing content as long as there's money to be made.

Of course they will be wary of any company, let alone a competitor, having too much control over a distribution channel.

For instance, Universal Music derives hundreds of millions a year from iTunes. But they hate that Apple won't let them raise prices and refuse the notion that standard pricing is part of iTunes' success.

So they won't sign a long-term contract and they are providing DRM-free content to other sources but iTunes, hoping some other portal will take off and they can get off iTunes where they'd have more control. But they can't revoke content off iTunes while waiting for this to happen because they're making a lot of money there.

It all comes down to the bottom line.
 
I'm amazed at how well the MacBook works as a media server.I just tied it out a few minutes ago and it worked flawlessly over a wireless connection.
I have high speed from Rogers but it's still just a little bit of stuttering at the beginning,after that it's smooth streaming.
From one comp I'm DLing a big file using UTorrent, and the MacBook is receiving a video stream from the same comp that is DLing. And the MacBook detected all my comps and set them up with no hassle. All I had to do was share my videos folder on my XP PC.
Also I bought the miniDVI-DVI connector and again it set up no problem with my TV running at 1920x1080(interlaced) as the second display. Plus the audio quality is even better via stereo to composite,than from PC to receiver.
And if you purchase this problem called Remote Buddy,you can control are your programs with the Apple remote.
This little laptop is turning out to be quite the great all in one so far.
 
My opinion, for what it is worth, is that everyone is looking at this the wrong way...

Its not the console or the PC which is the limiting factor but the standards and content. Fix that, and then either the PC or Console can be a hub. Until then, it is a no win for either format due to the complexity factor.

People who do it as a hobby are one thing, but shrink wrapping a solution and selling over the counter to the average Joe is not possible yet.

Today - the content and format war is the mitigating factor which is preventing the console from the holy grail - to me anyway.

Dvd, hd-dvd, blue-ray, cd, streaming via net - you name it. People have to get up off their duff and put x into y in order to listen or watch. Until you can buy something, put into device X "one" time, and have it rip it to storage, catalog it, and watch it anywhere at anytime within your place of living - it won't work...

To me, it is so simple it is not even funny. But the fear losing money due to file sharing is the problem.

Both console and pc's have the potential. But the giant media complex is keeping us in the stone ages I'm afraid.
 
HD.

Actually, didn't MS announce awhile back a deal with Direct TV to have a DTV tuner module to use with Vista's Media Center features?

I remember you asking this and lo and behold out of CES comes this news.

If this doesn't have all the certification baggage of the CableCard tuners and I can use it with my current machine and any future machines I build I might have to switch to D*TV.
 
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